Endangered Species – Brent Plater

Park Equity in the GGNRA

April 8, 2016March 10, 2021 by Brent Plater

Brent Plater

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Wild Equity recently claimed that the GGNRA's proposed rule for dog management will, if some modest but essential changes are made to the proposal, create a more equitable park experience for all. But calling something 'equitable' begs the question: equitable for whom? I've been involved with dog management issues for over…

California Red-legged Frog, Rana Draytonii

From Hubris to Hope

April 20, 2009December 11, 2017 by Brent Plater

Brent Plater

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San Franciscans don’t need Shakespeare to know benevolence, hubris, and tragedy: our very own Sharp Park has an epic story to tell. Located in Pacifica, Sharp Park was deeded to San Francisco by wealthy benefactors at the turn of the 20th century. Unfortunately, Alister MacKenzie—a renowned landscape architect—spent fourteen months…

Feeling Xerces Blue

January 4, 2008December 11, 2017 by Brent Plater

Brent Plater

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If San Franciscans voted for their totem animal, a little butterfly known as the Xerces Blue would almost certainly be on every ranked-choice ballot. Found here and nowhere else on Earth, the butterfly’s fierce loyalty to these lands reflects our own love for the City, and it also mirrors San…

Requiem for a River Dolphin

January 19, 2007December 11, 2017 by Brent Plater

Brent Plater

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Fifteen years ago, Douglas Adams—author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—entreated us to grab our towels, head for China’s Yangtze River, and take advantage of our last chance to see the Baiji dolphin, the 20 million year old Goddess of the Yangtze. I didn’t go. I took a reassuring…